


Turnip Talk

by sunsetroots



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, M/M, Post-Star Trek Beyond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 05:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7964062
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunsetroots/pseuds/sunsetroots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Jim's birthday happens - he and Bones get a bit affectionate when they're drunk, Spock tries to figure out what's going on between them, and the whole crew (and Jaylah and Ben) really really love each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Turnip Talk

**Author's Note:**

> i meant this to just be mckirk but then it insisted on being spock pov so him and uhura butted in and then the rest of the crew felt left out idek this fic is a bit of a mess tbh but ppl on tumblr encouraged me to finish it so !! i hope u enjoy. 
> 
> my thanks go to those peeps on tumblr for their help with american-isms <3

Spock is still uncertain as to how events such as these are intended to develop, and truthfully, he has only come out of a desire to see Nyota and the rest of the _Enterprise_ crew. He has been busy with his people off-base for a while and it has been a significant measure of time and he finds himself… happy, to see them all once more.

It does not matter. He has been told in the past that he is allowed to wish to be with those he cares about and he had believed them, he agrees. 

And for all his lack of understanding of events such as this – this ‘birthday party’ – he has the feeling that it would be logical for Jim to _be here,_ it is the anniversary of _his_ birth that is being celebrated after all.

“The captain is missing,” he says, turning slightly to Nyota so the contact that had warmed his shoulder is lost.

Nyota’s eyes survey the room quickly and she nods. “I’m sure he’s fine, Spock,” she replies, turns back to him with a smile, her voice and gaze soft. “If he isn’t back in fifteen minutes you can start to worry,” she adds, ignoring him when he opens his mouth to deny such a thing as possible. “Anyway, you might notice that a certain doctor is missing too.”

Spock stills, his gaze moves around the room as hers had done and he realises she is right, feels slightly confused as to why he had noted the captain’s absence but not Leonard’s.

“You believe they are together?” he asks, turning back to Nyota.

She snorts and raises her eyebrows at him and he moves his gaze from hers, accepting her point.

After fifteen minutes, Jim has not returned, so, naturally, Spock goes out in a search of the missing captain, glancing back to where Nyota is laughing with Jaylah as he leaves.

She will know where he has gone if she wonders, he is sure.

He finds Jim, and is momentarily relieved to find he has not found himself in another situation that brings him once more close to death, but instead is standing with Leonard by one of the larger view ports on the base.

Nyota had been right to think they had left together, was right to say Spock was being illogical. He should have learnt by now that Nyota is right about most things.

Jim and Leonard are silhouetted against the glitter of distant starlight that stretches out behind them and Spock is about to make his presence known when he notices - Jim is holding one of the doctor's hands in both of his, the two of them staring off away from one another and talking quietly with their hands clasped in front of them.

Spock stills. It takes him a long moment before he remembers that humans consider this… they do not consider this as he does.

He watches as Jim drops the hand, reaching instead to toss his arm across Leonard’s shoulders, laughing quietly about something as the doctor just glares at him in return.

“There you are,” a voice says quietly from behind him and he turns to see Nyota looking at him with confusion. “What're you...” she spots the pair and her expression falters. “Ah,” she nods.

“You specified fifteen minutes,” Spock says simply. “Fifteen minutes passed.”

He pauses, glances back to where the two of them are laughing and growling by the view port.

“I thought it logical he attend his own celebration but he seems to be content here,” he turns to her. “Shall we return?”

Nyota nods but her eyes are still on the two of them and there's something in her eyes that reminds him of the times she learns of, listens to a new language.

Spock glances back to them and sees the two of them staring back out of the view port, and Jim's cheek is resting on Leonard’s shoulder.

“We should go,” Nyota mutters.

She does so then - she leaves and he follows.

“I didn't know,” she says after a moment of them walking beside one another in comfortable silence. “Did you?”

Spock shakes his head. If he is honest, he still does not know what they have just seen. "You will have to be more specific.”

“They… the two of them are… well.”

Spock blinks. “The touching of hands is not as significant to humans as it is for vulcans.”

“No,” Nyota nods, then shakes her head and he watches her hair moving with each gesture. “That’s not what I…” she shakes her head again. “I didn’t mean they were doing anything _overt_ , Spock.”

Spock studies her expression for a moment, confused. “Overtly what?”

“It doesn’t matter,” she waves a hand in that way humans do and Spock follows her as she continues down the corridor back to where the rest of the crew remain.

“Are you occupied tomorrow evening?” he asks, when they have settled in a low sofa seven point three minutes later. “There is a restaurant on the west of the base that has just completed its reparations that I believe you might enjoy.”

Nyota stills then and he turns to her and admires the way her eyes shine. She reaches forward, somewhat tentatively and he immediately moves, taking her hand gently in his in a kiss in the way of his people.

Her smile brightens and he returns it in the incline of his head and the minutest quirk to his lips and she kisses him in the human fashion too, her mouth brushing softly against the curve of his jaw.

Jim and Leonard return a few minutes later and the crew all gathers together, surrounds their captain and Jim laughs, dropping heavily into a seat a fraction of a second after Leonard, stretches his legs out to rest on the table before him.

Drinks go round, and as time passes most of the crew leave, gradually emptying the room until it is just Spock himself, Nyota at his side, Jim and Leonard opposite them, and Pavel, Hikaru and Ben and Scotty (as everyone has insisted Spock calls him), Keenser and Jaylah scattered around them.

It is still not quiet, even though there are fewer inhabitants. Jim is laughing loudly, his face pressed against his hands and Leonard glaring at where his ribs are being dug into by Jim’s elbows. Jaylah had put on some music that was just loud enough so that people could still hear each other if they shouted a little, but not too loud that it was not worth making the effort to talk, which resulted in everyone being approximately point four times louder than usual.

Spock feels a little irritable. Nyota grips his elbow and presses another glass into his palm and shoots him a grin before returning to her conversation about different languages with Jaylah. Spock does not wish to see that smile slide from her lips so he does not attempt to join in, instead sits back to observe the group, and sips slowly at the chocolate beverage she’s handed him.

The only members of the crew he can actually see from this position are Jim and Leonard, and as moving would mean jostling and disturbing Nyota, and he himself is positioned for optimum comfort, it would be illogical to move. 

However, the longer he remains here – his gaze having nowhere to land but the back of Nyota’s head or the chair where Jim and Leonard are sprawled together – he finds himself feeling… uncomfortable.

He is not sure. He feels like he is intruding. It makes no logical sense – for humans, Jim and Leonard are acting as others might at any time, but there is something different now, and he cannot work out what. Perhaps it is merely Nyota’s words, perhaps he is looking for something new that is not _overtly_ apparent to him.

Jim looks around from where he has been talking to Ben and Hikaru, and his nose lands close to Leonard’s. Jim grins, Leonard scowls, and Jim starts talking to him too quietly for Spock to hear, leaving the Sulus to fall into conversation with others.

As he speaks, Jim’s hand moves to loop around Leonard’s wrist, gripping it lightly, then moves his grip to Leonard’s fingers, doesn’t even seem to realise he’s doing it, and apparently neither does the doctor.

Or maybe he does not care. Hands do not hold the same significance after all, this is nothing to them. It should not make Spock feel uncomfortable.

Spock shifts, sips more at his drink and ignores Nyota’s questioning glance.

Jim says something with a huff of laughter and Leonard rolls his eyes, glances away and meets Spock’s eyes. Jim follows his gaze and grins, slides his hand down to rest on Leonard’s knee.

“Spock!” he calls. “Have you ever eaten a turnip?”

When Spock shakes his head slowly, Jim’s grin – impossibly – widens, and Leonard closes his eyes for a long moment, clearly torn between exasperation and amusement.

“Okay so they’re these root vegetables – kind of purple and white? – and I tried one for the first time when I was six and honestly, Spock, my life _changed_ –”

Spock glances to Leonard, eyebrows slightly raised but the doctor just rolls his eyes and shrugs, disrupting Jim’s arm against his and Jim moves it automatically, his words not even pausing at Leonard’s movements and he instead shifts to sit up straighter, his arm dropping atop Leonard’s shoulders as his legs curl underneath him to compensate for their differing heights.

Spock continues to listen as his captain speaks, amused and reluctantly interested, has never heard anyone speak so… _lovingly_ of turnips before. Yet he listens to Jim ramble, watches Leonard pick up one of Jim’s hands, watches the two of them take sips of their drinks and watches their hands move together between them – apparently subconsciously.

He listens for at least four minutes as Jim talks and talks, only stopping for the odd sip and then Nyota stretches beside him, drawing his attention as she pushes herself to her feet and peers down into his glass to check how much remains.

He tilts it to show her he has an adequate quantity remaining and she moves away with a nod and Spock straightens somewhat in the seat, glances around at the positioning of the others, who are mostly crowded round the table on the other side of the room shuffling cards.

Jim follows his gaze and his rambling falters.

“I apologise, Jim,” says Spock. “Do continue.”

Jim blinks at him, his eyes glassy. “Continue what?” he says with a small frown. “Sorry, Spock, forgot what I was just talking about,” and with that, he tugs Leonard closer with the arm that’s round his shoulders and drops a sloppy looking human kiss onto his cheek before fluidly standing and moving away.

Spock stares.

“I know,” Leonard sighs, voice low and gruff as he rubs at his cheek with an odd expression. “He’s obscene, it’s unfair he’s so damn _stable_ when he’s had so much to drink.”

“Right?” Hikaru calls over from where he is sitting between his husband and Pavel. “I see him and I’m like ‘fall over like the rest of us, dude’.”

“It’s just selfish,” Pavel nods solemnly, pours himself more scotch, his accent thicker than usual. “He could _easily_ pretend to be as affected as ze rest of us, but does he? No!”

Jaylah and Ben laugh.

Leonard stands too, grunting and hovering for a moment to balance himself before moving off, blinking rapidly.

That is what this is then, Spock thinks. They are drunk – perhaps it explains the odd aura he feels from them, an explanation for the turnip talk and the clasped hands.

“You okay?” Nyota asks, approaching him with a new drink in hand.

“'Okay' has a multitude of definitions, Nyota.”

“Hmmm,” Nyota smiles, runs a finger over the rim of her glass. “Would you care to join us? You know this one.” She inclines her head towards where the others are playing and he nods, does not want to be left to sit here alone with his chocolate beverage alone while the others are joined around the table but had been unsure whether he could just stand and join, glad she has reached out and understood, as she always does.

He sits beside her, pulls over an additional chair to rest nearby, between her and Keenser where there is a gap.

Surely their shoulders are too close, they could easily cheat and look at others cards if they wished, the lot of them being so close together.

No one seems to notice or mind however, so Spock does not comment.

Nyota nudges him and he looks to her in question. She looks pointedly and he follows her gaze to where a stack of cards is piled on the table.

Spock picks up his hand.

The rest of the crew seem to be more drunk than he, and he watches with some amusement as they all descend to how they usually act under the influence.

He takes a moment to study Jaylah and Ben, the two he has not had opportunity to see drunk yet and he notes that while Ben looks tired, gazing softly at Hikaru as their shoulders remain solidly pressed together, Jaylah seems to be mostly unaffected, her words not slurring and her gaze still sharp.

Spock is almost impressed – he has seen the quantity of alcohol she has imbibed. Perhaps he should offer her his beverage, wonders if that would inebriate her more. They do not know much of her species; it would be interesting to discover what intake would affect her similarly.

It is a few deals into the game when Spock notices that Jim’s behaviour is different. Usually when drunk, the captain is loud and free with laughter, more so than usual, and his eyes spark and he shifts with restless energy.

He is not like this now, and Spock cannot help but notice that change in _feeling_ again, that air that he and Leonard give off that is somehow different to how it was before. There is something soft between them, something gentle in their gazes as they knock elbows and as they brush hands, as an arm is tossed once more over Leonard's shoulder, as a finger is flicked lightly against Jim's forehead in return for a laugh.

Spock's hand brushes Nyota’s wrist as he reaches for a card and he blinks, forces himself to continue like nothing happened.

She grins widely at him, her eyes glinting in a way that tells him she is past tipsy and some of her hair lingers over her eyes where it has fallen from its style. He looks away, feeling slightly overwhelmed by the emotions that spread through his chest. Perhaps he is more inebriated than he had previously thought.

By looking away, his gaze lands on others - on Leonard talking quietly into one of Jim’s ears, one hand on the back of his neck, fingers curling in his hair as if to steady him so the words do not get lost.

Illogical. Jim is still, steady, his expression amused and when Leonard pulls back he lets out a sharp bark of laughter before slipping his arm around Leonard’s waist, leaning heavily into his side.

It is Spock’s turn; he returns his attention to the cards before him.

He wants to question Nyota on their behaviour, on what she meant earlier, but does not know how to control his voice for this situation. He instead sips the last of his chocolate beverage as Nyota completes her turn and he stands to find himself a refill.

When he returns to the game, it is his turn, and he plays quickly before even sitting himself back down.

The arm around Leonard’s waist is gone, but Jim’s cheek is resting on his shoulder again, their arms and hands pressed together. Possibly hands too, but Spock cannot see, the table is in the way.

Hands do not have the same meaning for humans as they do for vulcans, but maybe there is… _something_ here. Something that was not present before. That must be why Spock can sense some change in them.

“You’re frowning,” says Nyota, her words slower than usual. She quirks her eyebrows and smirks. “Worried you’re going to _lose_ , sweetie?”

“I am not concerned,” Spock says, smoothly leaning forwards to take his next go.

“Hmm?” Nyota raises her eyebrows further, sips at her drink but maintains eye contact and Spock returns her raised eyebrows with one of his own.

He drops down a card as he leans over to press a light human kiss to her temple.

She splutters, wipes at her mouth quickly to stop herself from spitting her drink out everywhere and Spock’s lips tilt up fractionally at the edges.

“Are you choking?” he asks.

“Spock, you do – are you – I can’t believe…” she snorts some more, rests a hand on the crook of his elbow and grins up at him and gives up trying to be coherent.  

He returns his attention to the game, and the other players.

Jim’s grinning at him too, at _them_ more accurately and Spock recalls that it is unusual for him and Nyota to make such exchanges frequently. Especially not recently. He meets his captain’s gaze and does not alter his expression and Jim smiles earnestly at him in return.

Spock looks away.

“I finish,” says Jaylah. She lies a run of cards down and smirks and a few of the rest groan loudly.

The game over, they all fall back into their seats, passing their cards back down to Jaylah.

“I was one round off,” Pavel scowls, spreading his own out and jabbing his finger at Jaylah’s. “ _I_ needed that four.”

“Well, I had it first,” says Jaylah, scooping the cards back up into a neat pile. “We are playing again?”

“I’m done,” Jim shakes his head and steps away from his stool, a hand grasping at Leonard’s shoulder as though all his weight is supported by that one point of contact.

Ben shrugs, glances to Hikaru, who also shrugs. "We'll go again."

“I will play another round,” says Pavel, leaning back towards the table as Jaylah tosses him half the deck. “And I will _win_ ,” he adds, beginning to shuffle aggressively.

Jaylah frowns. “You’ll what?”

“Win."

“What?”

“ _Win_ ,” Hikaru repeats, amused.

“Ha!” Jaylah barks out a laugh. “We shall see, Chekov Pavel Andreievich.”

Scotty’s eyes widen as he stares at her. “That’s a mouthful.”

She shrugs. “We have known. The drink makes little difference to me.”

“It has little difference on _Spock,_ too,” says Nyota, squeezes his arm.

Her hand is warm and his gaze zeroes in on where she touches him. She smirks and squeezes a touch tighter.

“Of course then we discover he gets drunk on _chocolate_ , of all things,” Jim adds gleefully.

“Maybe I should try this,” says Jaylah, then looks at Spock expectantly.

Spock glances to his drink and frowns, curls his hand around it and shakes his head.

Everyone laughs and Spock bristles.

Nyota’s hand slips from his arm and his gaze returns to where it had been, his focus wavering.

“I’ve lost my focus for cards,” says Jim as the laughter dies down. He springs up and over to the sofa so light and quick on his feet that Spock’s vision slightly blurs as he tracks his movements.

“I vote we stack the pillows together and make a nest!” says Jim, more excited than Spock can understand.

Nyota’s following laughter is light and Spock’s frown deepens. His gaze remains fixed where it is on a point on the table, even as Nyota moves, as the rest of them move around him. Then he realises and he looks up, feels himself moving slower than usual but he has found that is what happens.

He smiles across at Nyota as he watches her throw a pillow at Jim, then realises what he is doing, schools the tilt of his lips back down and leaves his drink behind for Jaylah to swipe as he goes to aid them in whatever task they are attempting.

He is unsure _what_ precisely they are attempting but he can try to assist.

“Spock, chuck me that,” Jim calls over, gesturing to one of the pillows at his feet.

Spock does so, watches as Jim catches it and leans over Leonard to push it into place beside another.

Leonard grunts and shoves at him, only for them both to lose balance and collapse in a fit of Jim’s giggles. Jim is still laughing when they still, Leonard looking disgruntled as he flops back to the ground, Jim sprawled across his legs.

“Man down!” Jim cries dramatically.

Leonard huffs and shoves at his shoulder lightly. “Get off, you lump.”

“You’re comfortable.”

“You’re crushing me.”

“Your _bones_ are strong, Bones,” Jim says, then collapses back into another fit of laughter at his own comment, rolling off Leonard despite his words and clutching at one of his arms. “Laugh,” he insists, pushes his forehead against Leonard’s shoulder as his hands move down to grip at Leonard’s wrist.

“Maybe I would if you were funny,” Leonard grumbles, but does not move his hands, does not move to push Jim away.

Jim hisses, presses a hand to his chest and backs away as if wounded. “ _Brutal_.”

Leonard shrugs and catches his hand once more as it falls. “You’ve had worse.”

“Nothing can be worse than your betrayal, honey,” says Jim, unfurling his legs and stretching them out over Leonard’s once more.

The doctor looks unimpressed even as one of his arms curls around Jim’s shoulders. “I mentioned that time I helped deliver Gorn octuplets, right _darlin’_?”

Jim rolls his eyes. “Only _every hour_ , dear.”

“Well it’s not as though I have any _prouder_ moments, sweetheart.”

“I’d say bringing someone back to life is worthy of a _little_ pride, pumpkin.”

“Really, angel?” Leonard raises his eyebrows, turns his head to look at Jim but they’re so close they’re practically nose to nose.

Neither of them seem to care.

“It seems the higher ups don’t agree,” Leonard continues. “Given how much secrecy they’re enforcing on us.”

Jim waves a hand lightly, almost hitting Leonard in the face. “They’re just scared people will steal your brain, babe. Can’t say I blame them; you have a _beautiful_ brain.”

Leonard snorts. “Seen it up close?”

Jim stares for a moment and Leonard swats at him.

“ _Gorgeous_ ,” he adds quickly.

Jim huffs. “Honestly, boo bear -”

Leonard scrunches up his face in distaste.

“- I don’t need to _see_ it; I interact with it constantly.”

“Don’t remind me, tinkerbell,” Leonard drawls.

“You _love_ talking to me, my peach.”

“I don’t know about _that,_ beautiful. If _I_ don’t do it, who will?”

“My other fans and admirers, love muffin.”

Leonard shakes his head, slumps back against Jim’s shoulder with a huff. “Suppose you’re well set with those, sunshine.”

Jim grins widely. “That’s right, you grumpy little kitten.”

“Hmm, I’ll claw your eyes out, _beloved_.”

“ _My love_ ,” Jim gasps. “How can you speak so!?”

A pillow lands no their heads. “Can you two cool it?” says Nyota with an odd expression. She glances at Spock and rolls her eyes and he does not react, does not know how to.

Jim laughs and pushes himself up and away, their hands disentangling as Leonard keeps his eyes turned towards the ceiling. Jim and Nyota finish up doing whatever it is they are attempting to do, they settle and Jim claps his hands in satisfaction.

“One sofa pillow nest thing,” he says, gesturing wildly towards it.

“Sorry for chucking one at your head,” says Nyota. “Heads,” she adds after a moment, glancing to Leonard too.

“He’d lost anyway,” Jim shrugs.

“I had _not_.”

Jim smiles and taps Leonard on the nose. “You used sunshine earlier.”

Leonard pauses, then after a moment growls, “Fine.”

Jim flashes him a grin, and goes back to repositioning a pillow.

Finally satisfied, he turns and back drops onto the pile, letting out a little huff of air as he does so.

Nyota laughs as throws herself down next to him.

“Bones!” Jim practically sings.

With a lot of grumbling and muttering, Leonard pulls himself to his feet and moves to stand over them. Jim immediately shoots up, quicker than Spock would have thought possible and he grabs one of Leonard's hands and pulls him down, the two of them falling in a tangle of limbs with a soft yelp.

Nyota’s still laughing, hasn’t really stopped for a while and the sound has not ever really failed to warm Spock’s heart.

He moves over to stand beside her, and then kneels too, puts a hand on her shoulder and she drags him down to lie beside them. Over her, he can see a grinning Jim flicking the necklace that hangs around Leonard’s neck, and Leonard stares at him in return, his expression odd, and Spock hasn’t seen it on his face before. He moves slowly, carefully returns the kiss Jim had bestowed upon his cheek earlier, but Leonard’s placement is Jim’s forehead instead.

Spock looks away, trying to focus on Nyota but he can still see them past her, in his peripheral. 

If he focuses on her left eye the situation is acceptable.

She smiles at him when he stills and reaches out to link their fingers together. “You look nice,” she mumbles, pulling him closer and burying her nose in his neck.

He kisses her shoulder lightly and feels her fall asleep quickly, wonders whether it is a trick of this arrangement of pillows. If so, why do humans not always sleep this way?

“Bones?” he hears - the voice tired and muffled where - Spock guesses - it is pressed against Leonard’s chest.

Spock wants to turn his hearing off and go to sleep alongside Nyota, but bodies do not work that way, it is an illogical wish.

Leonard just hums in reply and Nyota shifts closer to Spock with a snuffle.

“Thank you,” says Jim.

“Sure, Jim," is the soft reply. “Happy birthday.”

Spock lies awake longer, listens to the voices of Ben and Hikaru and Keenser, Scotty, Jaylah and Pavel as they continue another few rounds of cards, until they have decided they are tired and move to join Spock, Nyota, Jim and Leonard where they lie amongst the sofa pillows, in this... nest of Jim and Nyota's creation. 

There is no more sound until morning and Spock sleeps peacefully, only to wake to Pavel's toes digging into his back, and a bad taste in his mouth, along with a clump of Nyota's hair half throttling him.

Still, he waits for Nyota to wake before he moves, and when she smiles up at him, and then around at the others, he finds he does not care about much else.

**Author's Note:**

> on tumblr [@gaygaila](http://gaygaila.tumblr.com)


End file.
